Field hockey: Kirby, Jones help Lawrenceville to third straight Mercer County title

It took more than 52 minutes, but Lawrenceville finally broke through against the stingy Hopewell Valley defense.

Hopewell Valley limited Lawrenceville's chances and denied quality opportunities, but Jane Kirby scored with 7:36 remaining and it was all eighth-seeded Lawrenceville would need, as it secured its third straight Mercer County Tournament with a 1-0 victory over second-seeded Hopewell Valley yesterday at Mercer County College in West Windsor.

“They came out and it was a lot of chipping away,” Lawrenceville coach Lisa Ewanchyna said of her squad. “It wasn't easy. But I was so happy when they scored that goal, that was a lot of effort.”

The game was scoreless through 52 minutes with the two squads registering only nine shots on goal at the time. But the 10th shot overall, and the sixth from Lawrenceville, lifted the eighth seed.

"We were coming down and the pressure was on to score," Kirby said of her goal. "It was a corner and Julia Conley hit it in and I saw it go past one of their girls and I saw the goalie in front of me so I knew to stop it, kind of pull it, and just kind of slam it right to the corner."

The goal from the Lawrenceville junior put Hopewell Valley on the offensive for the final 7:30, but it couldn't tie the game.

“They're a tough and really physical team,” Ewanchyna said. “We really had to focus on the little things, and when we did those little things, it complemented the things we did well.”

Senior midfielder Madison Jones was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and finished her Mercer County career with a third title.

"It means a lot to me," Jones said of her MVP award. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates, though. They supported me through all of this. Whenever I get frustrated, they're there to pick me back up. So it's really a team award for all of us."

The victory comes two rounds after Lawrenceville defeated top-seeded Allentown in the quarterfinals, followed by a semifinal victory over Pennington. Galen Ogg played well in the cage, recording four saves for Lawrenceville while Sabrina Gomez had seven stops for Hopewell Valley.

"It meant the world to us," Jones said of the victory. "This was our goal the entire season and I'm glad to say that we pulled it out and succeeded in the end. We have a very strong defense that has been our core the entire season and I knew we would get it in eventually (on offense)."